By Don McLain Gill
THE past few weeks have witnessed considerable developments in France’s strategic relations with Southeast Asian countries. On April 8, it was reported that Indonesia had ordered two Scorpene-class attack submarines from France’s Naval Group. Additionally, the deal will also include technology transfers to Indonesia. On April 19, the Indonesian Air Force and the French Air and Space Force agreed to enhance air defense cooperation in their coun-tries. Moreover, within the first two weeks of the month, the French Navy also conducted maritime exercises with the Thai Navy and the Vietnamese Coast Guard. Furthermore, France and Singapore are also set to elevate their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, indicating the desire of both countries to maximize the utility of their deepening relations.
From April 22, the French Navy will also participate in the 39th Balikatan Exercise — an annual bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States military (the Australian Defense Force has also been taking part in the annual exercise since 2014). The Philippine, the US, and French navies will also conduct a multilateral maritime exercise in our exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This is an important steppingstone for the Philippines and France to enhance maritime security cooperation in the West Philippine Sea at a time when China seeks to pursue its expansionist ambitions at the expense of international law.
While France is often considered a European power, it is also an Indo-Pacific power as it has territories in the strategic Western Indian Ocean and Southern Pacific Regions, which are home to over 1.6 million French citizens. In addition, there are also 200,000 French nationals residing in various Indo-Pacific countries. Thus, to ensure the security of its people, 7,000 French personnel are permanently stationed throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
More importantly, as a naval power with the world’s second-largest EEZ, France prioritizes the security of the Indo-Pacific’s maritime domain based on international law. According to its Indo-Pacific strategy, Paris character-izes the region by its maritime dimensions. The strategy also highlighted the South China Sea as one of the most critical areas in the Indo-Pacific region, given China’s large-scale land reclamation and militarization at the ex-pense of international law. Accordingly, France strongly opposes any attempt to unilaterally change existing systems and challenge international law through force. Therefore, given the growing stakes in keeping the In-do-Pacific region secure and rules-based, French foreign policy has given significant attention to working with like-minded partners in Southeast Asia.
Under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., the security partnership between the Philippines and France has been gaining considerable momentum in just a short period. In June 2023, the French destroyer Lorraine and its crew arrived in Manila for a port call. During the press conference, the Commander of the French Armed Forces in the Asia-Pacific, Rear Admiral Geoffroy d’Andigné, emphasized France’s steadfast commitment to playing a larger role in keeping the Indo-Pacific region’s maritime domain free, open, and rules-based. In December 2023, French Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu met with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. to deepen and broaden the scope of the Philippines-France security partnership in the Indo-Pacific region through more military exercises — indicating a possibility for a Visiting Forces Agree-ment (VFA) between both sides.
More importantly, France has also shown consistency in its support for the 2016 Arbitral Ruling and the undeniable right of the Philippines to exercise its sovereignty and sovereign rights within its waters. When President Marcos Jr. and French President Emmanuel Macron had a telephone conversation in September 2023, both leaders discussed the Philippines’ challenges in the West Philippine Sea. In December 2023, former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna stated how Beijing’s expansive and assertive military activities in the South China Sea disrupted regional peace.
This statement also came against the backdrop of the Chinese Coast Guard’s harassment of Filipino fishing boats in the Philippine’s EEZ. The French Embassy in Manila, under Ambassador Marie Fontanel’s leadership, has consistently supported the Philippines’ position in the West Philippine Sea and underscored the importance of adhering to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). More recently, the Group of Seven (G7) — composed of Canada, France, the United States, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom — rejected China’s “baseless and expansive” claims in the South China Sea, along with its provocations against Filipino vessels within Philippine EEZ.
France has also expressed its interest in playing an active role in building the Philippines’ defense and maritime security capabilities. It must be noted that France is a major defense and arms provider, and its distinguished status stems from its proactive export policies, government support, and technological advancements. Paris has also supported its partners’ self-reliance interests through joint production and technology transfers. Such capac-ity-building frameworks are vital for the Philippines at a time when Manila has emphasized the need to bolster its defense industry based on the 2023-2028 National Security Policy.
Closer ties with Paris will complement the Marcos Jr. Administration’s foreign policy focus on partner diversification. With notable material capabilities, France presents itself as an alternative option for countries seeking to expand their strategic options amidst the polarizing power dynamics. More importantly, Paris’ adherence to strategic autonomy, along with its robust ties with key partners of the Philippines, makes it a practical collaborator for Manila that seeks to leverage its network of partners in the Indo-Pacific region during great strategic uncertainty. Therefore, forging robust ties with France is in the best interest of the Philippines.
Don McLain Gill is a Philippines-based geopolitical analyst, author, and a lecturer at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University.
